Bungie takes Destiny 2 publishing rights back from Activision

Activision and Bungie are splitting after eight years of partnership, with the Destiny franchise being transferred to developer Bungie, which will assume full publishing rights.

It's a major move on the part of both companies, which together launched Destiny in 2014, turning it into one of the most popular universes in video games.

As detailed on Bungie.net, the studio explains that they're ready to start self-publishing, while Activision will increase their focus on owned IP products. The planned transition process is already underway in its early stages.

"We have enjoyed a successful eight-year run and would like to thank Activision for their partnership on Destiny," the post continues.

"Looking ahead, we’re excited to announce plans for Activision to transfer publishing rights for Destiny to Bungie. With our remarkable Destiny community, we are ready to publish on our own."

The studio also addressed player feedback received from Destiny 2: Forsaken, which didn't perform as well as anticipated and contributed to a decline in total revenue for Activision Blizzard last financial quarter.

"With Forsaken, we’ve learned, and listened, and leaned in to what we believe our players want from a great Destiny experience," the post says.

"Rest assured there is more of that on the way. We’ll continue to deliver on the existing Destiny roadmap, and we’re looking forward to releasing more seasonal experiences in the coming months, as well as surprising our community with some exciting announcements about what lies beyond."

In a joint statement, Activision and Bungie said, "Going forward, Bungie will own and develop the franchise, and Activision will increase its focus on owned IP and other projects. Activision and Bungie are committed to a seamless transition for the Destiny franchise and will continue to work closely together during the transition on behalf of the community of Destiny players around the world."

It's safe to assume that the split means Destiny 2 will no longer be available on Activision Blizzard's Battle.net launcher, since publishing rights are being transferred to Bungie.

This isn't the first major split for Bungie: in 2007, the studio, which made its name with the creation of the Halo franchise, broke away from then-owner Microsoft to go independent